Waking
by IchigoNekoKun
Summary: When Ben nearly loses his new partner, he starts to explore a new side of himself as well as teaching Rook a few new things. Part one of a Five shot series with the pairing known sometimes as BRoken. BenxRook RookxBen can be viewed as friendship for the first chapters, yaoi later. If you don't like, don't read.


It was all kind of hazy, the kind that usually meant the tail end of a medically induced coma. Something Rook Blonko had only suffered once before. That had been because of an accident. Rook was still a little too asleep to really remember right. He slowly forced his eyes open, man was this annoying. He really hated the fact that most of his neurons were still asleep from the medicine making speech and movement difficult. He gave up for the time being and let his mind wander into dreaming remembrance of the events.

Even that was fuzzy.

He remembers fighting. Screaming. The beeping as the omnitrix timed out, he moved without thinking. Those green eyes wide in fear, his name being ripped from Ben's throat, a burning pain, then nothing at all.

Well, that gave him an idea of what happened.

He tried moving again, he felt his hand slowly clench and unclench. He tried his eyes and they opened. He blinked several times until his eyes adjusted to the light. A smile crossed his lips and he slowly inched his way into a seated position on the hospital bed, allowing a soft groan to escape him as his sore body protested such movement. But he was a plumber, damn it. He wasn't going to let something like this stop him.

"You...you're awake." He looked over Ben was standing in front of a chair beside his bedside, a blanket fluttering to the ground around his ankles. Rook smiled softly, his partner had been worried about him, that was such a nice thing.

"Yes, I am-as you say-all ice." He responded, coughing to clear his throat.

"I think you mean Alright... you're mixing metaphors... on ice means..." An indecipherable look passed through his eyes. "I'll... get a nurse." Rook watched him exit the room, wondering where he had gone wrong this time. The plumber nurse returned sans Ben.

Rook, having gained impatience from his ally among other things was already hatching a plan to get out of there and go see Ben.

As luck would have it Magister Tennyson came to visit him shortly after and aided in his release.

Pleased to be back in his protosuit and out of that vile place, because who liked hospitals really, Rook made his way first to Mr. Smoothie's for the peace offering of a mango-kiwi smoothie, chili fries and a hot fudge sundae. Yes, he was laying it on thick but his partner was worth it. Most days.

His parents seemed to be out of town again so the Revonnahgander settled for scaling his garage and pulling himself up through Ben's window. "Knock knock," He smiled as he approached the teen lounging on the bed.

"Dude!"" Ben shouted rolling off the bed in surprise, he aimed a glare and a sock ball at the other who sidestepped last second.

"Oh, come now, don't be so cold, Partner. After all, I brought you," He brandished the foodstuffs witha a flourish. "Chili fries~"

Ben continued glaring and pouting before snatching then from him and hopping onto the end of the bed. Rook waited a moment before assuming the invitation was for him also, choosing to sit at the head of the bed where he could rest against the headboard. He really was sore.

Ben edged up and sat beside him shoulders touching.

"So now that you've bribed me, what is it you want, Rook?" He asked between sips of his drink.

"I made you mad somehow... I want to know why and to apologize." He responded simply.

"It's not...it's not that..." He frowned putting the smoothie down. "Do you know how close you came to dying? On ice means dead, I know you weren't trying... but it was a hugely bad joke."

"I didn't mean to... and hey, I'm still here aren't I?" He smiled weakly.

"yeah..." Ben responded half-heartedly.

"Ben, please this isn't like you." Rook frowned, nudging the other with his elbow.

"I lied. You were dead." His voice was even but completely emotionless.

"What?" Rook's eyes widened considerably. "Ben what do you mean."

"You flatlined, you were completely gone for all of seven minutes. They had a hell of a time bringing you back."

"Ben..."

"Oh sure, I've had close calls, Gwen and Kevin too but this is the first time... I mean I always find a way... but you saved me and it cost you..." His voice was breaking and the hand holding his smoothie was crushing the cup.

"Ben..." He began. "Ben it's okay, we're partners, you would have done the same for me, you've certainly tried countless times."  
"BUT THAT'S JUST IT!" He yelled, the thick, sticky confectionary running over where his fingers had pierced the styrofoam. "I couldn't, Rook! Big bad Ben 10, who's saved the universe millions of times and I couldn't keep one person safe! I watched you die, Rook! I saw the light leave your eyes, do you know how fucking scary that is? I've only seen one other person die and he evaporated into a mist cloud! I didn't even see him die! But I saw my partner die! Do you have any idea how that felt! And you just shrug it off! Did they teach you _that_in Plumber school too?!"

He couldn't hide it now the tears that had threatened to fall before were coming hard and fast now.

Rook watched immobile, averting his eyes. He reached out hesitantly, "Ben."

"GET OFF ME!" He snapped pushing Rook away. He was undeterred and pulled the other struggling into his arms.

"Ben, stop fighting me," He groaned. "Ben, it's okay... It's okay if I die protecting others or protecting you, because that's my job... and because," He frowned and hugged him tighter. "Because you're my friend. Because I care about you Ben, and all I knew was that if I didn't cover you, you were going to die. I couldn't bear that, Ben. I would do it again, one hundred times, one million, as many as it takes! And I know you'd do the same. Ben, you're my best friend, the most important person to me. I did it because of that."

"You're an idiot." He replied, burying his face against the alien's shoulder. "And if you tell anyone I cried I _will_ kick your ass.

"I will not, but tears are not a bad thing. It shows me you feel the same, that you care about me too." He smiled.

"If you say so," He muttered.

The other ruffled his hair while he was immobile. "I do."

"Hey, stop that! Not cool!" He laughed and pushed the other away.

Rook smiled mischievously. "Eat your fries, Ben Tennyson."

"Are you sure you don't want any?" He offered.

"I'd sooner eat my prototool." He retorted earning a round of laughter from the human.

"If you do that, I'll willingly turn into Alien X again for you."

"I'll pass." He grimaced, regretting his words.

"Are you sure you don't want chili fries?" He teased pushing one in his face.

"Quite sure, stop that, Ben!" He pushed his hand away with a grimace.

"At least have the sundae then, I can't eat all of this. I already had dinner." He offered the cup to the Alien.

"Alright fine, you've twisted my leg, I'll have the sundae." A few bites in resulted in a startled grimace and smack from Rook.

"You ass, you put a chili fry in here!"

Which led to laughter from the hero.


End file.
